Suction cleaner



Dec. 24, 1940.

H. WHITE sUcTIoN CLEA-NER ATTORNEY H. B. WHITE sUcTI'oN CLEANER Dec. 24, 1940.

Filed May 25, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY control mechanism in a suction cleaner.

Patented Dec. 24, 1940 PATENTl OFFICE 'I sUo'noN CLEANER Harry B. White, North Canton, Ohio, assigner to The Hoover Company, North Canton; Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application May 25, 1939, Serial No. 275,655

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to suction cleaners and particularly to new and improved handle More specifically the invention relates to a handle control mechanism for rigidly locking'the handle in one position with respect to the cleaner casing, and for resistingly controlling the handle in another position with respect to the cleaner casing.

It is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object to provide newrand improved handle controlling means in a suction cleaner. A further object is to provide means for rigidly locking ihe handle in one position so that the cleaner may be lifted without relative movement between the handle and the cleaner casing. Another object is to provide means for resistingly maintaining the handle in an operating position, the handle being movable to other positions without manipulation of the handle controlling means. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent upon referring to the following specification and claims and the attached drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view of a suction cleaner with parts broken away to illustrate one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section along the line 2-2 ofFigure 1;

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of the handle locked in storage position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the handle resistingly held in another operating position, and;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the handle controlling mechanism.

An embodiment of the invention is disclosed in a suction cleaner comprising a main casing I having a ncz'zle I I ccmmunicating with a passageway I2 extending to a fan chamber I3 provided p with an exhaust passageway I4 terminating in a vertical flange I to which a dust bag I6 is removably secured. The casing I0 supports a motor housing I1 enclosing an unshown motor having an armature shaft to which a motor pulley I8 is attached for driving an agitator I9 by means of a belt 20. A fan 2l is rotated by the motor to create suction and draw dirt-laden air from the surface being cleaned, through the nozzle II, A

suction passageway l2, and fan chamber I3, and discharges the dirt-laden air through the exhaust passageway I4 into the dust bag I6. The cleaner is supported on front and rear wheels 22 and 23 respectively.

The cleaner is propelled over the surface cov- (cl. sos- 13) ering by means of a handle 25 removably disposed in a split' socket 25 having a front wall 21, an unshown split rear wall and side walls 28 and 29. The handle socket 26 is pivotally mounted on the cleaner casing I0 by having its side walls rigidly attached to a pivot pin journalled in spaced handle bracket arms 3| upstanding integrally from the cleaner casing I0. Portions 43 of the handle socket side walls 28 and 29 abut the edge Il of the exhaust flange I5 to limit the downward movement of the handle, and a portion of the handle socket side Wall 29 abuts the exhaust flange I5 to limit the upward movement of the handle.

In order, to provide pawl means for the handle control, a locking pin 35 and an abutmentr or pin 36 aremounted on the lower end of the handle socket side wall 29.` Each of thev pins 35 and 36 is spool-shaped and has opposite end walls 31 provided with inwardly inclined walls 38 merging into a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion III of the pawl 35 is of considerable less diameter than the cylindrical portion 4I of the pawl 36.

A handle control lever is provided with spaced ears 5I pivotally mounted on a rod 52 supported on members 53 upstanding integrally from the cleaner casing I0 above the exhaust passageway I l. Formed integrally with the control lever 50 is a laterally extending arm 54 provided at its outer end with a foot pedal 55 which is o'set with respect to the pivotal axis 52y and extends through an unshown marginal slot in the motor housing I1 above the top wall of the cleaner casing I Il.

'I'he segment or detent means are also formed integrally with the control lever 50 and comprises an upstanding arm -55 providedvwith a V-shaped notch 51 having .a lower Wall 58 and a shorter upper wall 59. The notch 51 is adapted to separately receive the locking pin 35 fand abutment 36 to hold the handle ink diierentoperating positions with respect to thecleaner casingflli.`

A torsion spring is arranged about the shaft 52 to urge the lever 50 upwardly causing the detent .51 to receive either one of the pawls 35 and 35. The control lever 50 is limited in its clockwise movement by means of a projecting lip 5I abutting the cleaner casing I0 and in its counterclockwise movement by engagement of its lower deilning edge 62 with the upper surface of the cleaner casing I0 as viewed in Figure 3.

'I'he weight of the handle is counter-balanced by a spring 63 which has one end secured to a pin 64 rigidly mounted on the handle socket side Cal wall 25, the spring extending through an opening 65 in the casing wall Ill and having its opposite end attached to a member 65 rigidly mounted on the cleaner exhaust ilange l5.

In operation, assume that the handle is in storage position as shown in Figure 3 the pawl 35 being disposed inthe recess 51. The handle is rigidly locked in this position with respect t the cleaner casing due to the relative greater size of the recess 51 with respect to the small diameter 40 of the pawl 35. In order to lower the handle to a lower operating range, the operator depresses the foot pedal 55 against the force exerted by the torsion spring 80 causing the segment means 51 to move out of engagement with the pawl 35, and thereafter the operator removes his foot from the pedal 55. Downward movement of the handle is limited by engagement of the pawl 36 in the recess 51 and the handle is resistingly held in this position as shown in Figure 4. Should the operator desire to move the handle to a lower position a downward force is exerted on the handle and since the diameter Il of the pawl 36 is relatively larger than the recess 51 the pawl 36 will move along the upper wall 55 of the slot 51 and pivot the control lever 55 counter-clockwise as viewed in Figure 4 until the pawl 36 is free of the slot 51. The handle may now be moved freely downwardly until the portions 43 of the handle socket side walls abut the exhaust flange I5.

In order to move the handle from a low to a high operating position the operator merely moves the handle upwardly and the pawls 35 and 35 slide on the upper surface of the segment means and thence along the lower defining wall 58 of the recess 51 without the necessity of manipulating the foot lever 55.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that I have provided a handle control mechanism wherein the handle is locked rigidly in one position with respect to the cleaner casing, that means have been provided for resistingly locking the handle at the normal operating position as viewed in Figure 4, and that the latching means include detent means comprising a single recess 51 which separately receives the pawl means to hold the handle in adjusted positions. The handle is free to move unrestricted throughout the ranges defined between the pawls 35 and 35, and between the latter and the lowest handle position.

It is to be understood that the protection herein applied for is not confined to the particular combinations of features or elements set out in the following claims. Protection is herein applied for, for any one or more of the features or elementsreferred to in the following claims, 'or described in the foregoing specification or shown in the accompanying drawings, either independently or in combination.

I claim:

1. A handle-positioning mechanism comprising a body, a handle pivoted on said body, cooperating handle-positioning means including spaced abutment elements of diering contours carried by said handle and a spring-pressed manually operable seat carried by said body and adapted to receive selectively said elements, characterized in that one of said elements lockingly seats within said seat necessitating manual operation of said seat for disengagement while a second element resistingly seats in said seat being displaceable therefrom by a force exerted through the handle.

2. A handle-positioning mechanism comprising a body, a handle pivoted on said body, and cooperating handle-positioning means including relatively movable abutment elements and a seat mounted on said relatively movable handle and body, said abutment elements being spaced circumferentially relative to the pivotal axis of said handle and of differing contours, said seat being spring-pressed and adapted to receive selectively said elements upon the pivotal movement of said handle, a first element seating lockingly within said seat requiring manual displacement to eiIect separation and a second element resistingly seating in said seat, and manually operable means to effect separation of said first element and said seat.

3. In an ambulatory machine having'a body, a handle pivoted on said body, a locking pin and abutment mounted on said handle, detent means mounted on said body and including a single recess for separately receiving said pin and abutment, manually operated means for controlling said detent means to selectively engage said pin and abutment for holding said handle in different adjusted positions, said recess being of such size with respect to said locking pin as to retain the latter therein to rigidly lock said handle with respect to said body, said recess being of such size with respect to said abutment as to engage the latter to resistingly maintain said handle in adjusted position, and to cause escape of said engagement upon positive force being exerted on said'handle whereby the latter is free to move with respect to said body.

4. A handle positioning mechanism comprising, a body, a handle pivoted on said body, cooperating handle positioning means on said handle and body and including large and small diameter pins and recessed means, said pins being selectively disposed in said recessed means upon movement of said handle to different positions with respect to said body, the larger pin being of such diameter with respect to the area of said recessed means as to be retained in the latter to resistingly hold said handle in adjusted position but movable to another position by exerting a positive force on said handle, the smaller pin being of such diameter with respect to the area of said recessed means as to be retained in the latter to lock said handle in position against any force exerted on said handle, and means for moving said recessed means out of engagement with said smaller diameter pin whereby said handle may be moved to another position.

HARRY B. WHITE. 

